West Elm Street plot in Oneida has 'enormous' potential for new businesses

ONEIDA >> At the state of the city speech Wednesday night, Acting Mayor Max Smith spoke of many projects that are coming up in Oneida in 2013.

Among them will hopefully be the West Elm Street Development Project.

The project will "create a shovel-ready development sit at a 400-acre industrial zoned lot on West Elm Street," Smith said.

The Madison County Industrial Development Agency received a $1 million grant to extend utility infrastructure to the site.

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Furthering the discussion on Friday, city planning director Cassie Rose said that even though the $1 million grant has been received from the state, the cost of extending water, gas and electric lines along a large portion of West Elm to the proposed site would carry a total price tag of about $2 million. With half of that figure already in hand, the city is looking for more funding.

Water and sewer lines are currently available to about the "halfway" point on West Elm Street and just need to be extended. The city is currently working with National Grid for estimates and feasibility assessments of getting gas and electric to the parcel. A design and surveying work has previously been completed with money from another grant.

Years ago, the lot had also been rezoned "manufacturing/industrial," Rose said.

"It's a process," Rose said, "The potential to make this area a shovel-ready site for development is enormous."

City officials say a variety of businesses could be situated in the parcel, ranging from industrial to an office park.

"We are very excited and are working diligently to get more information," Rose said, noting that the city is quite a ways off from being able to hold a public informational meeting on this project.

In order to have such a public meeting, city officials would need to be able to answer public questions better than they can right now. Fact-finding and project cost estimates are still being obtained; however, Rose asks everyone to "stay tuned" for more information.